inspired

I was going through my Mom's desk drawers, and found some of my Grandad's old notes. I think he typed everything he referenced, either that or he underlined it in a book in red or blue pencil (I don't know what each color stood for). He was a minister, and I have many of his books and papers, all of which I hope to read some day. I figure if he read it, then it's worth reading (especially if it has his notes in it).

I came across this and wanted to share it with my fellow Blogger Moms...

A Little Parable for Mothers
by Temple Bailey

The young mother set her foot on the path of life.

"Is the way long?" she asked.

And her Guide said: "Yes. And the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning."

But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way, and bathed with them in the clear streams; and the sun shone on them, and life was good. and the young Mother cried, "Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."

Then night came, and storm, and the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the Mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said, "Oh, Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come," and the Mother said "This is better than the brightness of day, for I have taught my children courage."

And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the Mother was weary, but at all times she said to the children "A little patience, and we are there." So the children climbed, and when they reached the top, they said, "We could not have done it without you, Mother." And the Mother, when she lay down that night, looked up at the stars, and said, "This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage. Today I give them strength."

And the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth--clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped and stumbled, and the Mother said: "Look up. Lift your eyes to the Light." And the children looked up and saw above the clouds an Everlasting Glory, and it guided them and brought them beyond the darkness. And that night the Mother said, "This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God."

And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the Mother grew old, and she was little and bent. But her hcildren were tall and strong, and walked with courage. And when the way was hard, they helped their Mother, and when the way was rough, they lifter her, for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, and beyond the hill they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide.

And the Mother said: "I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know that the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and their children after them.

And the children said, "You will always walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates."

And the stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. And they said, "We cannot see her, but she is with us still. A Mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a Living Presence."
-----

As I reached the end, the story took on a different meaning. It wasn't just about what I want for my children... it was also about what my Grandmother was to me. The last few paragraphs personify her. She passed away 4 years ago on Christmas Day. She was 96 years old. She lived her life showing God's love not only to her own children (and grandchildren and great-grandchildren) but to all the children she came in contact with.

My Grandad passed away at Christmastime the previous year. He was a wonderful person who touched many lives, all around the world. I wish so much that I would have spent more time in conversation with him, and listened more closely to his sermons. He lived his life to be like Christ.

We all miss them both dearly, but find a joyful spot this time of year, when we can rejoice in all being together again someday!

let's go to the hop

nobody was really in a picture taking mood this morning, but I had to get a few anyway... it's "sock hop" day at school and the girls got to dress up...















when we've done this before, it hasn't been cold, so we were struggling to find something warm enough... they are also both wearing shoes that are a size too big!

crazy 8

yes, this is the name of a cute new store - it's part of the Gymboree family, but has Children's Place prices... and, yes, it's the name of a card game - which I have no idea how to play

but today, it's a game of tag, and I'm it!

8 shows I watch:
Kath & Kim
The Starter Wife
Bonnie Hunt Show
Saturday Night Live
Dancing With the Stars
Tonight Show w/Jay Leno
the news
What Not to Wear

8 restaraunts I enjoy:
Chili's
Red Robin
Pei Wei
The Melting Pot
Alamo Cafe
La Madeleine
Schlotzky's
On the Border

8 things that happened today:
fixed the girls' hair
took Bethany to preschool
helped Anna's class do handprint reindeer antlers
facilitated Katie's literacy group
bought a pin at the Girl Scout shop
took the girls to the dentist
took dinner to the Anderson's
had dinner at Chick-fil-A

8 things I look forward to:
this friday - Christmas party & time with Shayne
getting cards and packages in the mail
next Friday - school's out!
Christmas morning - the joy on their faces
January 1st - fresh start
Girl Scout cookies (also January 1st)
bedtime - theirs and mine
bathtime - a nice long soak for me

8 things I wish for:
a simple life
happiness
the right thing to say, at the right time
to give my girls roots
to give my girls wings
world peace
household peace
inner peace

8 tags:
Dasher
Dancer
Prancer
Vixen
Comet
Cupid
Donner
Blitzen

:)

the perfect one

How many shots do we have to take to find the perfect picture of our kids to put on the Christmas card? Would you believe we chose the first one? (I did not include it in the collage.) Katie & Anna were so patient while Bethany hammed it up. There were giggles and tears, and this all took place in less than 5 minutes. I think I took close to 30 pictures total. I'm so glad for digital cameras, otherwise I would have wasted a whole roll of film!

new tradition

So the story goes... there was a poor man with three daughters, but he could not afford a dowry for them. They would probably reamin unmarried and have to find work as "slaves". Another man heard about the situation and anonymously dropped gold coins down their chimney, which happened to land in the stockings that were hanging by the fire to dry. This would be the origin of St. Nicholas, later to become the Santa Claus we know today. There are traditions in other cultures that have the children leaving their shoes outside the door to be filled with goodies will they slept. This story has been very comforting to Katie as of late because she so desparately still wants to believe - there was a man who did good things for people, and we carry that tradition on today. Simple, but very true.

I've always thought this would be a fun way to add something new to our family traditions, but we've never quite made it happen. This week, I suggested maybe instead of leaving our shoes out for candy, we just go shopping for new shoes. The girls each got a new pair at the beginning of the school year, but they're already looking rather worn. Here are the ones they picked out today...


Bethany has several pairs of hand-me-down shoes that she wears, one of them being a pair of Keds that both Katie and Anna wore. I updated them with new laces earlier in the year, but I think they've had it now. Baby needs a new pair of shoes!

thanksgiving stuffings

AS SEEMS TO BE THE TREND LATELY, OUR SCHEDULE HAS BEEN CRAM-PACKED...

Katie and Anna both had turkey assignments to complete...






Anna had to decorate a turkey with the medium of her choosing. She (we) chose to use up the last of the Halloween candy... but, did you know that Elmer's glue will not hold a Tootsie Roll in place? It melts it. We had quite a mess!





Katie's assignment was a little more in-depth. She had to disguise her turkey, then write a persuasive essay to the farmer as to why she shouldn't get cooked. Her first idea was Harry Potter (of course), but after thinking more about the essay, she went with Barack Obama. You can't cook the President Elect, right? (our little joke was "Obama's a turkey")




Bethany enjoyed the festivities at her preschool...



The 2's were turkeys, the 3's were indians, and the 4's were pilgrims. They feasted on sliced turkey, cheese cubes, tater tots and grapes. There were games and crafts too!


Anna went to the same preschool, so it's fun to see Bethany following the same traditions.








I took Bethany to a Tiny Tot class at the zoo to learn about Thanksgiving animals...
Silly me, I thought we'd get to see a turkey. Instead, we met Twig, the owl (because there were owls at the first Thanksgiving, right?).


She had fun collecting leaves to use as feathers on her turkey art.









And I'm so glad she got to play with the big drum, because I hope to never have one at home!!











The Kindergarteners spent the week learning about Native Americans, so on Friday, they held a POW-WOW...


They designed their own shirts, jewelry and headbands, danced around the school singing their battle cries, and feasted on beef jerky and popcorn.

















Our second annual Thanksgiving camping trip...

This time we went to Guadalupe River State Park, just an hour out of town. The weather was perfect and we had some precious downtime. We enjoyed exploring, skipping stones, fishing, and experimented with some yummy dutch oven campfire recipes!
















Last, but not least, we had a delicious Thanksgiving meal with friends. I really enjoy preparing the whole spread, I just wanted to make sure we'd have enough mouths to put all the food in. We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes (Shayne's speciality), sweet potatoes, Waldorf salad, cranberry sauce and more! Pumpkin Chiffon Torte and easy fudge for dessert - yum yum!

We are so thankful for all that we are blessed with!

little brother, big uncle

2006 you & Josie, Anna, Bethany

2002 you & Katie, Josie, Anna

1998 you & Katie

1982 you & me

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLIVER!

pretty portraits

I will say, I think this is one of the best school pics of Katie so far. They do a Fall and a Spring, and they do re-takes each time. I've never been 100% satisfied, especially for what you pay! not too bad, not tood bad...


I was not as thrilled with Anna's pic - they tried to put her in a pose she wasn't comfortable with, AND her hair was in her eyes. However, she came home from school and said, "Mom, I look so beautiful!". How could I resist that?





Now, for Bethany. I actually had an appointment at Target (because I had a coupon), but when we got there, not only was the photographer unattentive, she had her schedule all mixed up. After about 30 minutes, we got up and left. I just wanted to get it done, so we called Wal-Mart and got in a few days later. When she asked what the occasion was, I was embarrassed to say that I had not ever had her 2-year old portrait done (her b-day is Feb.). I found some adorable rose jammies (her middle name is Rose), so we decided to go with a bedtime portrait. They turned out very cute!


Take a close look at this one. There is a black dot a little more than half-way up on the left. I couldn't tell what it was until I pulled out the 10x13... it was a flying insect, and you could actually see it's wings and body in motion! So weird!

few more punkin pics

I just had to share these last few Halloween-ish photos of Bethany...




There was a pumpkin patch at the church where we go to music class. We went a few minutes early one day so she could explore.









Instead of Halloween at preschool, they do an "orange" party. I wasn't able to attend that day because I had some obligations at the elementary school. Shayne went, and I think they both had a fun time!
















No more Halloween pics until next year, I promise!

bob

Happy
Birthday
GrandBob
!!!

book report

I was as passionate about books when I was a kid as Katie is now. I love it when I recommend something I read years ago, and she falls in love with it too.

Katie's book report theme for October was "mystery". She chose Trixie Belden and The Secret of the Mansion by Julie Campbell. The teachers have given them a variety of ways to present their information... this time, Katie chose a diorama. A classic, right? Well, the problem is, you have to have a shoebox. Ugh! I just threw a bunch out - doesn't it always happen that way. Well, in the process of brainstorming, we realized that we had this little wooden dollhouse that wasn't much bigger than a shoebox (and we decided to use some of the furniture too). The whole thing turned out quite cute, if I do say so myself.


(yes, she purposely placed the sticker on her forehead prior to the picture being taken... it was way past her bedtime the night before the project was due, so she was a bit delirious)

Here is the description she attached:
Trixie & Honey came into the Miser's Mansion to find a strange redhead boy sleeping on a dirty mattress with a shiny cup and a shotgun next to him. There was trash and debris all over the place & the upstairs was boarded up... The upstairs had an old fancy bed, rug, chair & wardrobe full of old fancy clothes. Next to the bed was an old ible with Mr. Frayne's will in it.

I really enjoy working on projects like this with the girls. I offer plenty of suggestions, but let them take the lead. I've noticed there are 3 basics groups of families... those who just do the work for the child; those that work with the child; and those (unfortunately) that just don't care. I hope we always fall in the middle somewhere.

happy belated blog-iversary?

...is that what it's called? Regardless, I missed my own. We started our blog on Halloween 2007 with "an oink oin here and an oink oink there", so I'll note our anniversary with our 2008 Halloween pics...

can you guess what our "theme" was this year?
















the littlest hunter...





















our church hosted a "trunk of treats" - everybody lined their vehicles up in the parking lot and the kiddos went from trunk to trunk collecting goodies

mac family retreat

Every year (for I don't know how long), our church has hosted a family retreat at the beautiful H.E.Butt Foundation Camps. We have been fortunate enough to attend several times. The focus is on spending time with your family, although the sleeping quarters are divided up between the boys and the girls (yes, that means I get 3 and Shayne gets zero). It's a wonderful opportunity that we try not to miss. The pictures we take each year never seem to capture the beauty of the area (only because we're zoomed in on the kids).

Everybody looks forward to the water activities on Saturday afternoon. They had swimming, canoeing, and kayaking, and for the little ones, there were kiddie pools and slip'n slides.






Last year, the girls performed their infamous "Sisters for Sale" at the talent show. This year, we didn't prepare anything, but each of them still participated. Katie and Anna did a skit with a bunch of the youth - Katie's discovering her love of the stage (she played the lead female), Anna was happy with a background part (she was the rising and setting sun). Bethany, along with all the otehr preschoolers, was invited to participate in a dance routine with one of the older girls... click to watch ...then she sang a duet with her friend Mia.

gone fishin'

Shayne and the girls, along with Mr. B, went fishing a few weeks ago out at Grandma and Grandpa's place.

Looks like it was a beautiful day!


I'm not sure who was taking the pictures, but I guess the cows were feeling particularly photogenic that day...